Thread: So Here's The Thing...

I need advice. I started my adventure with straights a few months ago. From the very beginning I've had a bit of an interest in restoring and perhaps making my own custom razors. But because I'm so new, I feel it would be premature to open a shop without some more experience. I suppose I feel like maybe I'm going through a bit of a honeymoon phase and I want to make sure that I'm committed before committing.

The story is this. I work for a small time CCTV/Highend Audio/Access Control company, I have 0 experience with metal work (aside from the occasional door frame butcher). As far back as I can remember I've had this thing with being a blacksmith, making knives or blades of any kind. I've always liked that kind of old school way of life, I associate it with being "manly" LOL. Anyways, I'm at a crossroads in my career, my job has become unsatisfying, my boss has become too rich and under appreciative, and the long of the short is I want out.

I'm a meticulous worker, I appreciate perfection, and I've recently begun hand sanding a few old straights I received off of eBay. I quickly have come to the conclusion that if I had the proper tools, the job would speed up, and with my attention to detail, I feel I could really excel at this. But I don't know how or where to begin, or if I even should.

So I guess I'm looking for advice, knowledge, inspiration or a dose of reality?

Thanks so much for reading

HFN


PS.. The reason I posted here is because I figured it had to do with workshops, resoration, custom work etc. Mods please feel free to move this where ever you see fit

Great to hear of your new found interest but you have to start the way we all start a small business. Small and one step at a time.
Restore some blades, sell them. Restore other ppls blades. Learn to make blades from ppl that have done it before. Then go from there.

Thanks that's some sound advice. I just had a guy at work tell me it takes 10000 hours to master something. So at least I've started haha.

ask your coworker what happens after the 9,999th hour that makes you a master good luck!

Well, I surely can't give you any advice since I'm also new with this, but I can tell you what worked for me

Couple of months ago I've found my grand-grand father razors and thought how it would be if I just clean up all that rust and shave with them. Googled up, found straightrazorplace, found some videos on restoration but I was kinda disappointed about all that tools I'd have to get, not to mention a place to install them

But then, I saw a video on youtube with a fellow cleaning up a razor with a dremel and I said "well, it's not that expensive and I could use one in the house, anyway" so I bought one along with the polishing kit. For sharpening, after reading a bit, I got a naniwa 1000/3000 combo stone and a belgian blue (for finishing). I've put a few good hours of work, but now I have a clean razor and I've shaved 3 times with it and lived, lol. Now I'm waiting for another old banger, from ebay this time

So, IMO you can start cheap and small without breaking the bank and see where you go from there.

Regards & good luck!
Adrian

The only way to know for sure is to try to restore a couple junkers and try to make some scales. This is the place to learn how to do it in theory, the only way to learn for real is to practice in your own shop.
You'll soon find out if you are committed or not. Yes tools make life much easier and are essential if you plan to do it professionally.

My advice, try to see what you can do with a couple old junkers and then compare that work to what you see on this forum by some of the pro's. Do you think with some practice you could come close to their work?

Then you weigh the pro's and con's and try to see if it will be worth it to you to devote much of your free-time to restoring razors.
The real test for me personally was being able to unpin a razor without damaging the scales, believe it or not, that is the most nerve-racking part of every rebuild for me. So much can go wrong in the tinest fraction of a second, you slip and all of the sudden you have broken someone's prized set of scales.

Practice on your own junkers for a while and see how you feel about it.

My advice - don't leave a job that pays your bills for something that won't do the same.
Spend $5 on sandpaper and try to clean up a razor. Powertools are just doing the same thing faster, and are extremely useful to ruin a perfectly good razor.
You'll probably have to figure out the honing part too, as I doubt anybody wil trust a restoration service that won't result in shaving razor, for all they know you may have just ruined the temper in the pursuit for money.

So, do this as a hobby for a while and then you'll see if you can get enough work at enough profit to replace your day job.

As a guy who's been self-employed for 25 years, I want to emphasize that all of these comments are excellent. Make sure your razor business is pulling in real dough while you're working full time elsewhere. Don't quit a good job w/o having all the licks down first. 10,000 hrs may be an exaggeration, but there's also a lot of truth to it. I'd recommend spending a year or more doing this as a serious hobby, and then if you still feel as passionate about leaving your "real" job--and only then--send some private mail to three or four of the master restorers who hang out here and ask them if it's possible to really make a decent living restoring and honing blades.

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

ask your coworker what happens after the 9,999th hour that makes you a master good luck!

I think you get struck with lightning and bells ring around the world as pixies dance and your name is put into songs... LMAO

Originally Posted by algernon

Well, I surely can't give you any advice since I'm also new with this, but I can tell you what worked for me

Couple of months ago I've found my grand-grand father razors and thought how it would be if I just clean up all that rust and shave with them. Googled up, found straightrazorplace, found some videos on restoration but I was kinda disappointed about all that tools I'd have to get, not to mention a place to install them

But then, I saw a video on youtube with a fellow cleaning up a razor with a dremel and I said "well, it's not that expensive and I could use one in the house, anyway" so I bought one along with the polishing kit. For sharpening, after reading a bit, I got a naniwa 1000/3000 combo stone and a belgian blue (for finishing). I've put a few good hours of work, but now I have a clean razor and I've shaved 3 times with it and lived, lol. Now I'm waiting for another old banger, from ebay this time

So, IMO you can start cheap and small without breaking the bank and see where you go from there.

Regards & good luck!
Adrian

Thanks, I believe that starting slow is a good plan. I'm working on 2 razors as we speak. Its been quite a learning process, but I've enjoyed every second of it.

Originally Posted by UPD

The only way to know for sure is to try to restore a couple junkers and try to make some scales. This is the place to learn how to do it in theory, the only way to learn for real is to practice in your own shop.
You'll soon find out if you are committed or not. Yes tools make life much easier and are essential if you plan to do it professionally.

My advice, try to see what you can do with a couple old junkers and then compare that work to what you see on this forum by some of the pro's. Do you think with some practice you could come close to their work?

Then you weigh the pro's and con's and try to see if it will be worth it to you to devote much of your free-time to restoring razors.
The real test for me personally was being able to unpin a razor without damaging the scales, believe it or not, that is the most nerve-racking part of every rebuild for me. So much can go wrong in the tinest fraction of a second, you slip and all of the sudden you have broken someone's prized set of scales.

Practice on your own junkers for a while and see how you feel about it.

Thanks for the advice. I've got my junkers sanded up. The first I got to a mirror finish. I learned quite a bit. I had to reshape the point after I damaged it... hehe oops. It looks quite good though. I had no trouble unpinning, I used a file and some electrical tape, it worked wonders. Now Ive gotta figure out how to repin it

Originally Posted by gugi

My advice - don't leave a job that pays your bills for something that won't do the same.
Spend $5 on sandpaper and try to clean up a razor. Powertools are just doing the same thing faster, and are extremely useful to ruin a perfectly good razor.
You'll probably have to figure out the honing part too, as I doubt anybody wil trust a restoration service that won't result in shaving razor, for all they know you may have just ruined the temper in the pursuit for money.

So, do this as a hobby for a while and then you'll see if you can get enough work at enough profit to replace your day job.

Of course you are correct. As much as I want to leave my job, your right I should stay. It puts food on the table. I've committed to buying the sandpaper and a dremel (I know its not the preferred tool around here, we use them at work so I'm pretty good with the thing). As for the honing, I recently sharpend 7 razors of mine, some with some small crack, some that were NOS. I did quite well, I'm kinda proud of that point... however my first attempt about 4-5 months ago didn't go so well LOL I'm still to scared to try and fix what I did to that poor razor of mine oh well live and learn right?

Thanks for the advice, I think every comment here is right, I'll start this as a hobby, and I'll see if I can sell a razor or 2, and see where it goes

Originally Posted by pcg

As a guy who's been self-employed for 25 years, I want to emphasize that all of these comments are excellent. Make sure your razor business is pulling in real dough while you're working full time elsewhere. Don't quit a good job w/o having all the licks down first. 10,000 hrs may be an exaggeration, but there's also a lot of truth to it. I'd recommend spending a year or more doing this as a serious hobby, and then if you still feel as passionate about leaving your "real" job--and only then--send some private mail to three or four of the master restorers who hang out here and ask them if it's possible to really make a decent living restoring and honing blades.

Thanks so much for the post, believe me I'm really paying attention and I really appreciate all the comments and advice. I think the end goal is I want my own business. I'd love it to be part of something that I have a real passion for. I won't quit my job, but boy do I wish I could LOL. I'll take my time and learn all I can. I'm hoping to find a bladesmith in my area. And if I'm lucky I'll get him or her to teach me somethings Thanks for your advice, and your time limit on beginning this journey